FEC approves establishment of disaster relief fund

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the establishment of a disaster relief fund to tackle flooding and other  emergencies in the country. 

Wale Edun, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, made the announcement on Monday while addressing state house correspondents after a federal executive council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

He emphasised the need to pool resources from different sectors to prepare for such situations.

“In this age of climate change, disasters will inevitably occur despite preventive efforts,” Edun said.

“Now, we have the NEMA Relief Fund, we even have the Flood Relief Funds set up around 2012. But, Mr President feels we need to build greater resilience in the form of substantial disaster relief funds, separate from agencies that actually intervene physically.

“This will focus on the financing and bringing together the funding from across the spectrum of the Federal, sub national levels, the local levels, private sectors and international philanthropic organisations.”

In response to the recent flood disaster in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, and other parts of the country, the federal government also established a committee to reassess and review the structural integrity of Alau dam and other dams across the country.

The aim is to develop comprehensive designs and recommendations for their reconstruction to prevent future disasters.

Joseph Utsev, the minister of water resources and sanitation, told journalists that the council held extensive discussions on the nationwide flood situation, with a focus on the flooding in Maiduguri.

Utsev said in 2022, the ministry requested increased funding from the national assembly, along with support from the Borno state government, to address urgent repairs needed for the 38-year-old Alau dam.

“In 2022, one of the dam’s components encountered issues, prompting the Minister of Water Resources to request additional funds from the National Assembly and support from the Maiduguri government for rehabilitation. The goal was to improve water supply, irrigation, and flood control,” Utsev explained.

He added that the government is now reassessing the dam’s integrity to develop detailed plans for its full reconstruction.

Discussions were also held with the management of Lado Dam regarding the controlled release of 100 cubic meters of water over seven days, with warnings issued to those living in river valley areas.

Meanwhile, the National Flood Early Warning Systems Centre of the ministry of environment, had earlier said 123 locations across 21 states in the country are at risk of flooding.

Benue, Kogi, Anambra, Delta, Imo, Rivers and Bayelsa are among the states that will be severely affected by the five-day heavy rainfall, the centre said.